The Blessing and Virtue of Cross-Eye

Have
you ever wondered why many of our body parts were created in pairs?

Seriously.
Think about it for a moment.

Is
there really a need for two eyes, ears, arms, legs, and nostrils?

Couldn't
we just as easily have been produced with a surround sound system instead of
the goofy, floppy things stuck to our heads we call ears? And why couldn't we
just have an all-seeing, single rotating eyeball, instead of the stationary
two?

If
two hands are there for multitasking, three or four seem more effective.

And
while two nostrils are absolutely critical for survival when one lane jams with
traffic due to an overzealous cold (if you catch the drift), a simple solution
would be to create one nostril and no colds!

There is no excess in the divine economyI'm
not just playing devil's advocate here. Our sages teach that there is no excess
in the divine economy; G‑d is precise and calculated when it comes to creation.

Hence,
there must be a reason for the many twosomes that make up our body.

Right
and Left

The
Kabbalah teaches that the words "right" and "left" not only describe opposite
directions, they also represent two contrasting ideas, perspectives, emotions
and attitudes.

The
right side symbolizes the attributes of giving and kindness of the
no-holds-barred type, while left represents judgment, restraint, and severity.

On
the emotional level, right embodies love, and left represents discipline.

Love that isn't guided can be reckless, even dangerousUnrestrained
kindness can be overwhelming for the recipient, and love that isn't guided can
be reckless, even dangerous.

Too
much control, conversely, stifles creativity and growth. Too much discipline
dries the juice of life, and too many calculations leave opportunities
untapped.

The
definition of success, on so many levels, is the healthy balance and
partnership between the two.

Parenthetically,
the Kabbalists explain that most people are born with stronger right arms to
reflect and highlight the fact that G‑d created our world with a stronger
"right arm," that is, predominantly with kindness. Therefore, teaches the Talmud,1
"A person should always
draw people closer by means of his right hand and push them aside with his left
hand."

And
so, if we were created with one eye alone, if it were the "right" type of eye,
we'd only see the good in everyone and everything we encountered. We'd see the
world, every circumstance and all people from an idealistic place, from a utopian
platform.

The
problem is that devastating world events could then take on positive meaning;
evil people and actions would be embraced and understood.

If there is no judgement, everyone is innocent. There are no enemies, only friendsIf
there is no judgment, everyone is innocent. There are no enemies, only friends;
iniquity doesn't exist, only righteousness.

Aside
from the lie of such a reality – incidentally, the word utopia comes from the
Greek οὐ (not) and
τόπος (place), which indicates that the word's creator did not consider such an
ideal place to be realistically possible – this type of mindset and
worldview can be downright dangerous, facilitating a world where crime runs
rampant and unchecked.

The
prospect of left-eye vision alone, and the world it would engender, is equally
if not more disturbing!

Therefore
we were created with dualities, with more dimensions than one. Far from causing
confusion, this gift of G‑d facilitates cohesion. Through the paradox of right
and left, our vision is broadened, deepened.

If
we were created one-dimensional, we'd see things as black or white, in
absolutist terms, as one way or the other. We wouldn't have the capacity to perceive
things from different angles.

We
also wouldn't be able to understand people dissimilar to ourselves; we couldn't
relate to them or appreciate their differences. The world would be split into
two groups, as opposed to the billions of unique individuals it thankfully
possesses, each with their personalized perspective.

Eye
and You

Another
major benefit of our twofold nature, symbolized by our many twin features, is
that it allows us to focus our respective viewpoints on different places at
different times.

For
example, if I could only see right-eyed, while those with failings would
benefit from my lack of judgment, my own shortcomings would never grow tall. I
would cut myself the same slack I cut everyone else. And the same with those I
am responsible for. If I only see goodness, I ensure that so much remains bad.

But
if I was born a "lefty," while that would help me work my way towards
perfection through self-analysis and self-discipline, it seems impossible that
my harshness would not find its way into my dealings with others. The way I'd
see and deal with myself would be reflected in how I saw and dealt with others.

Having two eyes allows us to look at others primarily with our left eye closedThus,
having two eyes allows us to look at others primarily with our left eye closed,
and at ourselves with both eyes open—the left one just a bit more open.

(Looking
at ourselves with no generosity can be destructive as well. Just imagine
scrutinizing yourself the entire day! As one Chassidic saying goes, "Just as
one must be aware of their vices, they must be aware of their virtues.")

And
the same is with our two ears; with our right ear we're meant to welcome the
praise of others and allow exaggerated tales of good qualities in other people
to get by; with our left ear we are obligated to challenge the negative things
we hear about others.

The
rule of thumb (whichever one) is that the "right" attitude should generally be
directed at others, and the "left" approach saved for ourselves (to invite
critique and the like).

The
following story is an example of our inherent dichotomy put to good use.

At
one point, it became increasingly trendy for businessmen to wear socks that
matched their ties. At a farbrengen(Chassidic gathering), the Rebbe had a good
laugh about this fad, pointing out the obsession with materialism this style
represented.

"And
if one's socks don't match their tie on a given day, is he any less of a
person?"

A
short time after the farbrengen, Rabbi Hershel Pikar, a Chassidic businessman,
brought a non-Orthodox business acquaintance that was having financial
difficulties to visit the Rebbe for a blessing.

This
individual happened to sell ties for a living, but competition had gotten the
better of him.

After
explaining his predicament to the Rebbe, the Rebbe gave him the following
advice.

"Instead
of selling just ties, why don't you sell matching sets of socks and ties, they
say it's currently quite fashionable…"

Judges
and Officers

The
above provides an added layer of meaning to the verse, "You shall establish judges and
law enforcement officials for yourself at all the gates of your cities that G‑d,
your G‑d, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people
[with] righteous judgment."2

What we ingest, hear and see is the product of our choice"All your
cities," according to one Biblical commentator, is a reference to the faculties
and senses that "G‑d has given you." "The gates," then, refer to the entry
points of those "cities," namely our eyes, ears, nose and mouth, without whose
permission, admission is barred. By and large, what we ingest, hear and see is
the product of our choice. "You shall establish judges" is a directive to
choose carefully, to pass judgment and provide entry to all visitors only after
objectively weighing all of the evidence.

More to the
point of our discussion, "You shall establish judges," is also an instruction
to approach others without bias or preconceived perceptions. We must take
ourselves out of the picture, like a judge in a court of law, when dealing with
others or reviewing ourselves. Which eye or ear to use and when must be decided
by the impartial judge Reason, not the passionate and subjective advocate
called emotion.

The
"law enforcement
officials" mentioned in the verse are the trained, professional officers we
each possess that are sometimes necessary to enforce the law when a heated
protest is triggered by the verdict.3

P.S. An
entitlement included in the legal codes and constitutions of many countries is
the golden rule of "Innocent until proven guilty."

Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson is the rabbi of Beit Baruch and executive director of Chabad of Belgravia, London, where he lives with his wife, Chana, and children.
Mendel was an editor at the Judaism Website—Chabad.org, and is also the author of the popular books Seeds of Wisdom and A Time to Heal.

Eyes
If you close (or cover) one eye or the other, things do not look very different (if they do, you may need new glasses). You do not see only the good when you use one eye and only the bad when you use the other eye.

However, everything looks flat, two dimensional. Without two eyes, you lack "depth perception".

This is why we have two eyes. So that we can tell how far away things are or how close they are.
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